The scouting report on Julianne Zussman was pretty simple, according to Zussman herself.

"I could fit through the smallest gaps. I could hit the line at pace, find a gap where there really wasn't one, just because I was so much smaller than everyone else."

She played rugby at the highest level in Canada, and as hard as her legs were churning, her mind was in step. "I really knew the game, even if I wasn't the biggest of the fastest I was quite often in the right place at the right time."

The right time and place for her rugby career was Victoria in 2013.

"That's when I lost my carding, but I decided to stay [in Victoria] and make this my own little training centre, if that makes any sense," she laughs. But the mix of sports medicine, mentors and motivation in Victoria made it the perfect fit for Zussman's development. "Over the course of the next 2 or 3 years I started to peak and things really started coming together."

Zussman moved to Victoria from Ottawa due to the centralization of Rugby Canada and learned right away it was more than a rugby town. "At the time we were training at PISE, and when you see a rower finish a workout you kinda realize what it means to work hard. Those guys take it to the next level."

Canada's Rugby Fifteens squad achieved that next level at the World Cup in 2014.

"It was a time of transition for rugby in Canada. I think it kind of put [women's] rugby on the map," says Zussman. "People started to talk about it more in the media. It was also when social media really became a thing, so for the first time we really felt like we had the support from home." That support, plus total team cohesion led Canada to a stunning victory over host France in the semi-final. Canada would come up short in the final versus England, but a silver medal showing was the best ever finish for a Canadian team at the World Cup.

Zussman would play in three World Cups, including Canada's 5th place team at the 2017 World Cup where she was named to the tournament dream team. Zussman's standard kept her in the national program for more than a decade, racking up 44 appearances. Amid all the pressure and competitiveness, the physical toll was the toughest part. "You're inevitably dealing with some kind of injury as a rugby player at all times," she says. "Navigating the psychology of that combined with trying to get selected and perform well."

Bumps and bruises are no longer part of her rugby life, but Zussman's international career continues as a referee. "It's the closest thing there is to playing. You're on the field. You're in the tunnel. You're in the heat of the game," says Zussman. "It's also an amazing way to continue that competitive fire over the years."

She's officiated in Olympic and World Cup tournaments, but she lends her world class expertise locally. "I love doing local games. I love giving back to the club games, reffing in those games that I played in coming through the pathways."

Like many of her Rugby Canada teammates, she's decided to make Victoria home and continues to build the city's sporting legacy. "That's what's cool about 94 Forward, it's a big community."

And like those training days alongside the rowers and swimmers, Zussman says inspiration comes from anywhere, given the right environment.

"There are so many different types of people [in Victoria] you can connect with. It might not be somebody in your role or even in your sport."

Julianne juggles her officiating career with her role as a Program Coordinator for Abuse-Free Sport.